Will Touch Gaming Ever Come To Windows 7?

Microsoft (MSFT) executives are talking a bit about PC gaming on Windows 7 today, promising the new OS is "all good news - it's even more robust, it's quicker relatively."

That's all well and good -- but the point of Windows 7 is everything on it is more "robust" and "quicker" -- including games. What we're wondering is: When will we see games that utilize Windows 7's touch features?

We've already seen developers successfully build games on Apple's (AAPL) iPhone that use touch technology to great effect. Nintendo (NTDOY) has done the same with its portable DS series.

We find it easy to imagine moving soldiers around a real-time-strategy map by tapping a unit, then tapping its destination. Or casting a "fireball" spell by drawing a figure-eight on a touch-enabled monitor. And that's just off the top of our heads -- game designers can do much better.

We hope to see Microsoft make an aggressive play here. Doing so would reinforce Windows' traditional dominance over the Mac in computer gaming -- Gamestop stores don't even have Mac sections. And it could get people excited about Windows 7 as something other than what Vista should have been years ago.